Decorative Pillows

A while back, I wrote about a Murphy bed that I built. The price for the bed including the hardware and the wood, was about $600. For many people, that’s too much money to spend on a piece of furniture for a guest room. Growing up, when my cousins and brother and sister, would visit my grandmother, she would make us what she called a, “palette,” which was nothing more than a pile of blankets on the floor. For children, this kind of accommodation might be acceptable, but it’s unlikely that an adult would want to sleep like this for more than a couple nights. There is another option, and that is an air mattress.

Like Murphy beds, an air bed can be stored away when not in use. In fact, it uses even less space than a Murphy bed. While the sleep quality of the Murphy bed is much higher, there are some things you can do to level the playing field. For one thing, a mattress topper can make the air bed feel a lot more like a regular bed. Also, if you’re using the air bed on a wooden floor, laying down a rug or even a blanket, can help prevent the air bed from moving around plus it keeps your feet warm when you step out of bed. Finally, you should realize that eventually the seams will leak and holes will develop, so one day you will have to replace the air mattress. I know most air mattresses come with a patch kit, but I rarely have any luck using them.

My first experience sleeping on an air mattress, comes from camping and sleeping on one of those air mattresses that also double as a flotation device. This was a little better than sleeping on the rocky floor of the tent. If you’re really on a budget, an air mattress like this, can be had for around $10. On the plus side, these mattresses are cheap, widely available, extremely portable, and if nothing else you can use it when you go swimming. On the downside, they are not very rugged, and they don’t maintain even pressure across the entire mattress. That means if you sleep on your side and are on the edge of the mattress, the mattress is going to collapse and you’ll basically be sleeping on the floor. They also tend to deflate as the night air cools, so your guests may be waking up through the night to inflate them.

photo credit: benuski

Later, while shopping in a Goodwill store, I came across an Aero bed. Having seen the commercials on TV, I bought it. The Aero bed, is a huge step up from the pool-side play toy. For one thing, it felt a lot more rugged, and it had a built-in air pump. It also featured a velvety top. The nice thing about that, is that your bed sheets won’t slip off the mattress. It was also quite portable, and I used it on several vacations and when visiting my mother. If you’re a backpacker however, at around 10 pounds, it’s a bit heavy. If you like camping and you go by car, it will be just fine though. Eventually, that Aero bed developed a leak and I replaced it. The TV price for the Aero bed, was around $60 at that time, but mine was just $20 at the Goodwill. I guess if there is a downside to the Aero bed, is that it is really low to the ground.

Aero bed, makes a bed, that is about the same height as a regular bed, and I had a chance to sleep on one during visits to my mother’s house. To be honest, I have to say it’s a step down from the low model. The problem was, the large model tends to slide around while you’re trying to get in it. The solution of course is to pin it in a corner and climb in that way. If I hadn’t built the Murphy bed, the air mattress that I would most likely choose is made by Wenzel and not only does it have a nonslip bottom, it’s also about the same size as a regular bed. Out of all the air mattresses on Amazon.com, it has about the best reviews of any of them and the price is about $119.

For many people, who want to be able to accommodate guests in their home, budget is a huge consideration. And not only must budget be considered, but the room must also serve a dual purpose. While using the Murphy bed hardware kits can meet both of these requirements, your dollar can be stretched even further by using an air mattress. Of course, if you have the budget to build your own Murphy bed, you could buy an air mattress instead, and use the extra money you save to buy a very nice linens or goose down pillows.